Read a full match report for the Aviva Premiership game between London Wasps
and Saracens at Adams Park on Saturday, March 30 2013.

Chris Ashton’s poacher’s instincts kept Saracens on top of the Premiership with a resilient display that dealt another blow to Wasps’ hopes of making the play-offs.

Ashton has found tries hard to come by for England in the past 18 months but the winger latched onto Alex Goode’s 66th minute grubber kick and squeezed in at the corner for the try that decided this scrappy Home Counties derby.

“I thought he was brilliant today. It was the Chris Ashton everyone talked about two years ago popping up all over the place, getting his hands on the ball and making breaks. But he also defended well today. He was hungry for work, he was energetic, so it was great for him,” said Saracens director Mark McCall.

“He’s a sensitive soul and anyone who is sensitive is going to be affected a little bit by some of the criticism he received. But when he came back to Saracens he was coming back to a place where we don’t judge him that way. We back him, we believe he’s a great player, that’s why we brought him to the club.

“We leave him be and we let him play and do what he does best. We try to concentrate on what they are good at rather than what they are not good at.”

Home supporters thought Ashton may have knocked on but referee Martin Fox conferred with touch judge Andrew Pearce, who was right on the spot, and television replays suggested that the ball may have rebounded off Wasps full-back Elliot Daly into Ashton’s hands.

Saracens were some way below their best but they deserved their win for retaining their composure after they had gone 13 points behind in as many minutes.

They regrouped, denied Wasps a further score in the last 67 minutes of the match and deprived them of a losing bonus point thanks to two late penalties from Owen Farrell, who eventually located the target after he had missed three of his first five kicks at goal.

Saracens began their fightback with a try from Chris Wyles after 17 minutes which owed something to Goode’s opportunism but much to Wasps’ switching off in defence.

Saracens were awarded a penalty which Wasps expected Farrell to kick at goal. They committed the schoolboy error of turning their backs and leaving the short-side unguarded and failing to spot that Saracens had not indicated that they intended to kick for goal.

Goode ran the penalty and Wyles was able to bounce off Christian Wade’s tackle for the try that lifted Saracens after Wade had given Wasps the initiative with an early interception try after he picked off Charlie Hodgson’s pass to Goode.

“That was really disappointing and it was schoolboy stuff if we are honest,” said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young.

“We got caught against London Irish so that’s twice. There’s not a lot we can do about it. It’s something we have talked about, reacting and marking things in front of you is something you expect from your players.”